The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1887-10-22
SOME QUEER MARRIAGE LAWS.
Customs of the Old Days-In Ancient
Rome-Jewisll Marriage.

SOME OUEEH MAhhiAGE LAWS.
Customs of the Old Days-In Ancient
Rome-Jewish Marriage.
The Roman church alone regarded
marriage as a sacrament, but all the other
churches recognized it as divine institu-
ton, and, accordingly, every denomina-
ton has provided religious services for its
solemnizatien. So strong hold did the
church in England gain upon it that for a
long time the regulation of marriage and
divorce was almost exclusively under the
church's jurisdiction.
Among the Romans there were three
ways of obtaining wife-by capture,
sale or gift When Roman bought a
wife-and this was the usual way-the
ceremony that followed was merely gone
through for the sake of having indisputa-
BILE evidence of the sale. The head of the
family had to give her over to the hus-
band in the presence of witnesses, and it
is from this that we now have the custom
of giving away the bride. Before the
period of Rome's greatness the parties
could dissolve the marriage by mutual
consent.
When they wished to terminate the
contract they usually went before an
altar and in the presence of witnesses
declared the marriage at an end. At and
after the time of Rome's greatness the
marriage was indissoluble. The Roman
husband took his wife not as her husband,
but as her father. She came into his
family the same almost as an adopted
daughter.
Originally the husband had absolute
and complete control over her and her
property. Even after his death she was
subjected to any guardianship that he
might have had appointed for her during
his lifetime. But change came in her
condition, and came as changes usually
come, from one extreme to another. The
wife was now subject to the tutelage of
guardians appointed by her own family.
This tutelage gave her very independent
position as to her separate estate and
person.
Before this change came, and even
afterward, there was exercised among
the Romans complete tyranny by the
head of the family over his relations
which were members of his family.
As head of the family, the eldest male
was always the head; he had power not
only over his relatives, but all persons
connected with his household and his
children's households. While the father
lived his son was subject to him, al
though the son might be 40 years old and
have a large family of his own. The
grandchildren were subject to the grand
father the same as their own father.
we now regard the individual. If MEM
Der committed crime the whole family
was held responsible, and it was perfectly
lawful for the injured family to get re-
venge or satisfaction, even if it were
necessary to exterminate the whole Of
Tending family. This was carried to such
an extent that whole families were de-
stroyed.
The blood feud, and it was well
named, descended from father to son.
It was to the Roman, in effect, what the
inherited curse was to the Greek. The
feud was kept up not SO much for the
sake of punishment as to prevent the
supposed liability of the offending family
to commit fresh offenses. With all their
peculiar customs in regard to the family
it must be said to their credit that they
never to any extent practiced polygamy.
If the Romans did not countenance
polygamy the Hebrews did, and they had
more peculiar custom. There was
law among them called the Levirate,
which means brother-in-law, and accord
ing to this law, at the death of the hus-
band, the next oldest unmarried brother
were no children.
In this way the wife of the eldest
brother might, in the course of time, have
been the wife of all the brothers. This
custom afterward extended to many of
the western nations, but the marriage
took place whether there were any chill
dren or not.
There was another kind of marriage
called polygnia, and, like the Levirate, it
extended to the western countries. This,
however, did not gain much foothold
among the Hebrews. Polygnia was SIM
ply polygamy reversed. According to it,
the woman was the head of the house,
and might have as many legal husbands
at one time as she pleased. Her children
bore her name, and recognized her as
head of the house.
Some of the customs attending He
braic marriage were peculiar. The bride
groom dressed himself in the most gor-
geous style he could command. Henext
perfumed himself with frankincense and
myrrh. Then he went forth covered
with garlands, or, if he were rich, he
would wear circlet of gold and ride a
gayly caparisoned horse. He was at
tended to the BRIDES house by his grooms-
men, musicians, singers and torch
bearers.
The marriage was always celebrated at
night, and the bridesmaids were provided
with lamps to meet the bridegroom when
he came. On his arrival, he found the
bride, bridesmaids and company awaiting
him. AS soon as the actual ceremony
was over, the entire company returned to
the bridegroom's house with great re-
joicing. When they reached the house,
they partook of the wedding feast. The
festivities usually lasted during fourteen
days. The groom not only furnished the
feast but the robes of those who took part
in the ceremony.
Pioneer marriages in this country, not
a century ago, had some resemblance to
a Hebrew wedding. In those days the
marriage was the cause of great excite
ment, and the whole neighborhood was
usually invited -Pittghl1rp Disnatch